It is common for a dentist, or oral surgeon, to use tools such as drills, to create bores in bone tissue of a patient's mouth. Drills come in various styles, sizes, and lengths, but all have a common goal of creating a bore of a known size. The diameter of the drill dictates the diameter of the bore. However, the length of the bore is determined by the amount of axial movement that the clinician imparts on the drill as he or she inserts the drill into the bone tissue.
The size of the bore is a critical parameter in the restoration of the dentition of the patient's mouth. For example, if the length of the bore is too long, it can puncture the sinus cavity if placed in the maxillary, or the mandibular canal that contains the nerves if it is placed in the mandible. Likewise, the roots of adjacent teeth also may be affected by the size of the bore.
To ensure that the drill bit is inserted into the bone to a known length, the drill bit often contains several markings on it which signify specific depths. For example, a drill bit may have a marking on it that, when located at the surface of the bone, indicates the bore depth is 10 mm. The use of these visual markers is, of course, limited to the clinician's ability to see the mark as the drill is being inserted into the patient's mouth. Accordingly, the clinician is required to keep his or her eye on the depth marker as he or she slowly proceeds with the axial movement that causes the drill bit to be inserted deeper and deeper into the bone.
Current drill bits that are adapted to be used multiple times must be sterilized between each use. However, a sterilization process may not always be properly performed, resulting in the introduction of bacteria and other pathogens to a patient. Additionally, some sterilization processes may damage certain features on a drill bit. Therefore, disposable drill bits have been utilized to eliminate the need to sterilize the drill bits, as they are only used once. A need exists for a disposable drill bit assembly with a penetration limiting stop element.